Exercise device

ABSTRACT

This invention relates to an exercise device ( 1 ) comprising a framework ( 3 ) having a base ( 5 ) and a plurality of up-rights ( 7   a,    7   b,    9   a,    9   b,    11   a,    11   b ) protruding upwardly therefrom, the framework ( 3 ) further comprising a plurality of horizontal-in-use exercise bars ( 15   a,    15   b,    15   c,    15   d,    17, 19   a,    19   b ), each of the upright supports ( 7   a,    7   b,    9   a,    9   b,    11   a,    11   b ) being connected to at least one other upright support by way of an exercise bar ( 15   a,    15   b,    15   c,    15   d,    17, 19   a,    19   b ). There are provided a plurality of exercise stations on the exercise device ( 1 ), each exercise station being capable of allowing a plurality of users perform an exercise simultaneously on that exercise station. A number of different exercises may be performed by a number of individuals at each of the exercise stations thereby allowing team training exercises and comparative analysis of team members exercises to be carried out.

This invention relates to an exercise device and in particular to an exercise device that allows a plurality of users to perform the same exercise simultaneously.

By and large, most exercise devices are found in gymnasiums and other dedicated exercising and training centers. Normally, each exercise device is limited in the number of exercises that may be carried out on that device and most exercise devices are designed to allow exercising of only a few dedicated muscle groups. The individual exercising must spend a certain amount of time on each device exercising those muscle groups before moving on to the next exercise device and exercising the next muscle group. These exercise devices have been found to be particularly suitable for individuals who choose to monitor their own performance or have their performance monitored under the supervision of a personal trainer or fitness coach.

There is however a problem with the known types of exercise devices. Typically, these exercise devices are suitable for use by only one person at a time. Although this is not a problem for persons involved in individual pursuits, it has significant drawbacks for persons engaged in team oriented sports. It has long been recognised that it is preferable for those engaged in team oriented sports to also perform their training activities as a team. This has been found to increase team spirit which can have a direct positive effect on the performance of that team. For team sports such as football, Gaelic games and rugby in particular, a large portion of the training activities are based on team oriented activities such as training matches, training runs and training drills Unfortunately, due to the nature of the currently available exercise devices, it is not possible for those involved in team sports to also use exercise devices together; thereby missing a valuable opportunity to further develop team spirit.

A further drawback of the known exercise devices is that when members of the same team exercise using the exercise devices in a gym, the entire team is spread out over a number of different machines over a relatively wide area. This makes it very difficult for the individuals monitoring the performance of the team members to monitor closely the exercises being carried out by each and every team member. This inevitably leads to less efficient and effective training by the team as a whole due to incorrect exercising techniques being used as well as certain team members not applying themselves fully when not under close scrutiny. Therefore, it is preferable to have multiple team members training in close proximity to each other where they can all be monitored carefully.

One exercise device that allows a plurality of users to use the same exercise device simultaneously is described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,850,589, in the name of Block. This patent describes an exercise device specifically for use by children and adolescents and up to seven individuals may use the exercise device at the same time. However, most of the exercise stations allow for only a single user at a time and therefore this is insufficient for providing a comparison between the technique of different team members simultaneously. Furthermore, as some of the stations allow more than one user at a time, bottlenecks may arise when it is necessary for the individuals to move to another station that may only allow a single user at a time. Finally, the construction requires a pair of carefully machined, bent aluminum sections that are relatively expensive to produce.

It is an object therefore of the present invention to provide an exercise device that overcomes at least some of the problems associated with the prior art devices and allows for multiple team members to exercise in close proximity with each other. It is a further object of the present invention to provide an exercise device that allows for more comprehensive monitoring of the exercises carried out by the individual members of a team. It is also an object of the present invention to provide an exercise device that is compact, simple and inexpensive to manufacture while at the same time being flexible in its use allowing multiple exercises to be performed by multiple users simultaneously.

STATEMENTS OF INVENTION

According to the invention there is provided an exercise device comprising a framework having a base and a plurality of upright supports protruding upwardly therefrom the framework further comprising a plurality of horizontal-in-use exercise bars, each of the upright supports being connected to at least one other upright support by way of an exercise bar, the framework being arranged to form a plurality of exercise stations, at least one of the exercise stations being for different exercises to the other exercise stations, each exercise station being capable of allowing a plurality of users perform the same exercise simultaneously on that exercise station.

By having such an exercise device, it is possible for the members of a team to exercise together in close proximity to each other. The frame is arranged so that a number of the team members can carry out the same exercise at the same time on the frame and there are multiple exercise stations on the frame to allow other exercises to be carried out by other team members at the same time. By having such an exercise device, the individual team members will be encouraged to train harder as they will be training in immediate proximity to other members of the team. Furthermore, it will be possible for the team coach or fitness trainer to more closely monitor each of the team members as the team members will be training in a less widespread environment than before. As the team members will essentially be executing the exercises beside one another on the frame, it will also be easier for the team coach to recognise a team member using the incorrect technique or not applying themselves sufficiently and take appropriate measures.

In one embodiment of the invention there is provided an exercise device in which each exercise station allows users to perform a different exercise to the other exercise stations. In this way, the exercise device will enable a plurality of exercises to be carried out by the members of the team thereby providing a more flexible exercise device that facilitates more all round exercise of several muscle groups. Furthermore, the members of the team may rotate from exercise station to exercise station in a predetermined manner to ensure that the training does not become monotonous.

In a further embodiment of the invention there is provided an exercise device in which the framework is arranged to form two or more of a chin-up exercise station, a dip exercise station, a sit-up exercise station and a polymeric springing exercise station. By having two or more of these stations, the major muscle groups may be exercised by the team members. Furthermore, each of these exercises will promote good muscle tone in their respective target areas in an efficient way.

In another embodiment of the invention there is provided an exercise device in which each exercise station is arranged to receive the same number of users as the other exercise stations. In this way, the members of the team may rotate in turn from station to station in an orderly manner without members having to wait for a certain station to become free causing a bottleneck. It is envisaged that each exercise station will be arranged to receive at least four users simultaneously.

In a further embodiment of the invention there is provided an exercise device in which the base is substantially rectangular in shape and there are provided six upright supports mounted thereon, one upright support in each corner of the rectangular shaped base and a further upright is mounted substantially centrally on each of the shorter sides of the rectangular base;

-   -   two of the uprights mounted at opposite ends of a longer side of         the rectangular base are minor upright supports, substantially         shorter than the four remaining major upright supports;     -   each of the four major upright supports is connected adjacent         its upper end to the to nearest major upright supports by way of         an exercise bar;     -   the two minor upright supports being connected together adjacent         their uppermost ends by way of a dip exercise bar; and     -   the pair of minor upright supports being connected adjacent         their uppermost end to the nearest centrally mounted major         upright support intermediate the major uprights supports ends by         way of an exercise bar.

This is seen as a particularly simple construction of exercise device that will be simple and inexpensive to manufacture. By having a simple framework of this nature, it will be possible to construct the exercise device using the absolute minimum of resources. Furthermore, the construction will be particularly robust and will not be prone to failure through wear and tear and will be able to support a significant amount of weight thereon.

In another embodiment of the invention there is provided an exercise device in which there is further provided a second substantially horizontal-in-use dip exercise bar connecting the two centrally mounted major upright supports positioned at the same height as the first dip exercise bar. By having a second dip exercise bar, the pair of dip bars may be used simultaneously by a number of team members for dip exercises.

In one embodiment of the invention there is provided an exercise device in which there are provided a plurality of cross bars mounted intermediate the exercise bar connected between the two centrally mounted major upright supports and the exercise bar connected between the two other major upright supports. By having these cross bars, they may be used for chin-up or other similar type exercises. This is seen as a further simple construction of device to manufacture and use.

In a further embodiment of the invention there is provided an exercise device in which there is provided an anchor exercise bar connected between the two major upright supports mounted in the corners of the base, the anchor exercise bar being connected to the major upright supports spaced apart from the base. Preferably, the anchor exercise bar is mounted between 25 cm and 35 cm from the base. By having such an anchor bar, it will be possible for the team members to use this portion of the device at the same time as other members of the team are performing exercises elsewhere on the frame. The anchor bar may be used for a variety of different exercises including sit-up exercises, press up exercises with raised legs, plank exercises as well as other known core stability exercises.

In one embodiment of the invention there is provided an exercise device in which there is provided a stretching exercise bar connected between the two major upright supports mounted in the corners of the base, the stretching exercise bar being connected to the major upright supports spaced apart from the base. Various stretching exercises may be performed using the stretching bar as other exercises are performed by other team members elsewhere on the device. Preferably, the stretching exercise bar is mounted between 75 cm and 105 cm from the base.

In another embodiment of the invention there is provided an exercise device in which there is provided a spacer exercise bar mounted spaced apart from the base intermediate the pair of minor upright supports, and a plurality of grip exercise bars extending outwardly and orthogonally from the spacer exercise bar spaced apart from the ground. By having the spacer bar and the grip exercise bars configured in this way, it is possible for members of the team to carry out plyometric springing exercises while other exercises are carried out elsewhere on the device.

In one embodiment of the invention there is provided an exercise device in which the base further comprises a stabilizing cross bar connected at each of its ends to the base adjacent the locations where the centrally mounted major upright supports are mounted on the base. This will help provide a more robust and steady device that will not be prone to buckling or to swaying caused by a significant amount of weight on the frame.

It is also preferable to confine a team's entire training regime to the one physical environment area. Therefore, it is the intention that the invention will be used primarily, but not solely, outdoors where the team already does the large majority of their team training. The invention will become part of the existing training regime. It will standardize what occurs in a current team training environment and make the whole training process much more efficient. The amount of time wasted between exercise drills will be greatly reduced as well as ensuring that all muscle groups are exercised concurrently in a controlled supervised manner.

The invention will help to reduce the level of disproportionality in an athlete's body due to the fact that there is so much focus on core stability and upper body strength. These are two aspects of sport, in general, that have become hugely important. Up until now, it has been left to the individual to focus and develop their own core stability and upper body strength. Most find this the most difficult part of their training and are reluctant to take it on as much as they should do. The invention offers a solution to this problem. The gain that can be experienced from improving and developing ones core stability and upper body strength is immense and when performed in a team environment, it leads to an upsurge in morale for one and all involved.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The invention will now be more dearly understood from the following description of some embodiments thereof given by way of example only in which:-

FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic front perspective view of the exercise device according to the invention;

FIG. 2 is a diagrammatic front perspective view of the exercise device according to the present invention suitable for use by six persons per exercise station; and

FIG. 3 is a diagrammatic front perspective view of an alternative embodiment of the exercise device according to the present invention.

Referring to the drawings and initially to FIG. 1 thereof there is shown an exercise device, indicated generally by the reference numeral 1, comprising a framework 3 having a base 5 and a plurality of upright supports 7 a, 7 b, 9 a, 9 b, 11 a and 11 b, protruding upwardly therefrom, each of the upright supports being connected to at least one other upright support by way of a horizontal-in-use exercise bar. The framework 3 is arranged to form a plurality of exercise stations, each exercise station being capable of allowing a plurality of users perform the same exercise simultaneously on that exercise station.

The base 5 is substantially rectangular in shape, having a pair of short sides 13 a, 13 b and a pair of long sides 14 a, 14 b, and a single upright support 7 a, 7 b, 11 a and 11 c is mounted in each corner of the base 5 and a further upright support 9 a, 9 b, is mounted substantially centrally on each of the shorter sides 13 a, 13 b of the rectangular shaped base 5. Two of the uprights 11 a, 11 b mounted at opposite ends of a longer side of the rectangular base are minor upright supports and are substantially shorter than the remaining major upright supports 7 a, 7 b, 9 a and 9 b. Each of the four major upright supports 7 a, 7 b, 9 a and 9 b are connected adjacent their upper ends to the two nearest major upright supports by way of exercise bars 15 a, 15 b, 15 c and 15 d. The two minor upright supports 11 a and 11 b are connected together adjacent their upper ends by way of a dip exercise bar 17 and each of the pair of minor upright supports 11 a, 11 b are in turn connected adjacent their uppermost ends to the nearest major upright support, 9 a and 9 b respectively intermediate the ends of that major upright support by way of exercise bars 19 a and 19 b. The framework 3 further comprises a second substantially horizontal-in-use dip exercise bar 21 connecting the two centrally mounted major upright supports 9 a and 9 b and is positioned al the same height as the first dip exercise bar 17.

A plurality of cross bars 23 a, 23 b and 23 c are mounted intermediate the exercise bar 15 c connected between the two centrally mounted major upright supports 9 a, 9 b and the exercise bar 15 d connected between the two other major upright supports 7 a 7 b. An anchor exercise bar 25 and a stretching exercise bar 27 are mounted connected between the two major upright supports 7 a, 7 b mounted in the corners of the base 5, the anchor exercise bar 25 and the stretching exercise bar 27 being connected to the major upright supports 7 a, 7 b spaced apart from the base 5. A spacer exercise bar 29 is mounted spaced apart from the base 5 intermediate the pair of minor upright supports 11 a and 11 b and there are provided a plurality of grip exercise bars 31 a, 31 b, 31 c, 31 d and 31 e extending outwardly and orthogonally from the spacer exercise bar 29 spaced apart from the ground. Finally, a stabilizing cross bar 33 is connected at each of its ends to the base 5 adjacent the locations where the centrally mounted major upright supports 9 a, 9 b are mounted on the base 5. The framework 3 therefore comprises a plurality of exercise stations that may be used by a plurality of users simultaneously.

In use, a plurality of members of a team, in this case five members, will simultaneously do chin-up or similar exercises from the cross bars 23 a, 23 b, 23 c and the exercise bars 15 a and 15 b. At the same, five other members of the same team may do dip exercises in the known manner between the dip exercise bars 17 and 21 and five other members of the team may each use one of the grip exercise bars 31 a, 31 b, 31 c, 31 d and 31 e to do plyometric springing exercises. While the other exercise stations are in use, five more members of the team may use the anchor exercise bar 25 to perform sit-up exercises, raised leg push up exercises, plank exercises or other core stability exercises or alternatively they may use the stretching exercise bar 27 to perform stretching exercises

In this way, up to twenty members of the same team will be accommodated on the exercise device. This will enable for the team members to be monitored closely by their fitness coach who will be able to see if any of the team members are not putting in sufficient effort into the training exercises and furthermore will allow them to see if any of the team members are using an incorrect exercising technique that must be corrected

It is further envisaged that the exercise device can be seen as a modular framework and could be expanded out in either direction using one or more of the exercise stations. For example, it is envisaged that it would be possible to provide a further dip exercise station on the other side of the chin-up exercise station opposite the dip exercise station shown It would be possible to provide a stretching bar and anchor bar on that additional dip exercise station so that a further five team members could exercise at the some time on the additional dip exercise station. It will be understood that as an alternative, a further chin-up section could be provided alongside the present chin-up station or they could be separated by a dip exercise station. A further alternative would be to replace the anchor exercise bar 25 and the stretching bar 27 shown with a further dip exercise station and a further spacer exercise bar with grip bars protruding outwardly therefrom similar to those shown in the drawings. Essentially therefore, the combinations are not essentially rigid but a variation on the exercise stations shown may be employed to form alternative frameworks of the exercise device. Furthermore, each of the exercise stations could be expanded outwards in a longitudinal direction to accommodate further individuals on each exercise station. At present, the exercise stations each accommodate five individuals thereon but it will be understood that these stations could be expanded or reduced to accommodate more or less than five individuals at a time. What is important is that there are provided a plurality of different exercise stations that allow for a plurality of individuals to use the exercise device at the same time as each other and be monitored simultaneously.

Referring to FIG. 2 of the drawings, where like parts have been given the same reference numeral as before, there is shown an exercise device that has been expanded in the longitudinal direction. The exercise device further comprises an additional grip bar 31 f protruding outwardly from the spacer bar 29 and a further cross exercise bar 23 d between the exercise bars 15 d and 15 c.

Referring now to FIG. 3 of the drawings, there is shown an alternative construction of exercise device, where like parts have been given the same reference numerals as before. The exercise frame, indicated generally by the reference numeral 40, further comprises a pair of additional dip exercise bars 41, 43, an additional pair of main upright supports 45 a, 45 b, an additional minor upright support 46, and an additional exercise bar 19 c. The exercise frame further comprises a plurality of substantially horizontal grip exercise bars 47 a, 47 b, 47 c, 47 d and 47 e extending outwardly and orthogonally from the anchor exercise bar 25 spaced apart from the ground. In use, the additional dip exercise bars 41, 43 may be used by less developed individuals such as minors and adolescents to perform dip exercises on the device. Preferably, these additional dip exercise bars 41, 43 way be releasably secured onto the exercise bars 19 a and 19 c, and 19 b and 19 c respectively so that the dip exercise bars 41, 43 may be removed or mounted when and if required. One of the additional pair of main upright supports 45 a, 45 b is located substantially centrally on the longer side 14 a of the base 5 and extends upwardly to connect to the exercise bar 15 d at its uppermost end and the other of the additional pair of main upright supports 45 a, 45 b is located substantially centrally on the stabilizing cross bar 33 and extends upwardly to connect to the exercise bar 15 c at its uppermost end. The additional pair of main upright supports 45 a, 45 b will add further rigidity to the exercise device thereby limiting distortion of the exercise device under significant loads. The plurality of substantially horizontal grip exercise bars 47 a, 47 b, 47 c, 47 d and 47 e may be used in a similar manner for additional exercises to the grip exercise bars 31 a, 31 b, 31 c, 31 d and 31 e and differ in that they are located slightly higher off the ground compared to the grip exercise bars 31 a, 31 b, 31 c, 31 d and 31 e.

Throughout this specification, the device has been described for use by a team. It will be understood that it is not necessarily for use solely by members of a team in the strictest sense of the word but could be used to monitor several individuals in a group simultaneously such as in a fitness class or recruits in military training. What is meant is that there are a number of individuals that may or may not be associated that are all to be monitored by the same instructor or fitness coach. The advantage is that all the individuals monitored may be monitored closely and effectively without having to provide personal coaches for each and every person in the group. It is envisaged however that it will be particularly useful in a team environment.

It is also seen as highly advantageous if along with a plurality of individuals doing the same exercises simultaneously, there are sufficient spaces on each exercise station to allow the same number of individuals carry out each exercise at any one time as this will help obviate the possibility of bottlenecks forming and each of the exercise stations may be used in strict rotation by the persons exercising thereon. It is further envisaged that additional upright support bars may be provided on the framework to increase further the stability of the framework. In particular, an additional support bar may be provided centrally on each of the dip bars extending vertically between the dip bar and the base portion below. Alternatively, a number of additional support bars could be provided between the dip bars and the base and/or between the exercise bars and the base.

In this specification, the terms “comprise, comprises, comprised and comprising” as well as the terms “include, includes, included and including” are all deemed totally interchangeable and should be afforded the widest possible interpretation.

The invention is in no way limited to the embodiments hereinbefore described but may be varied in both construction and detail within the scope of the claims. 

1-15. (canceled)
 16. An exercise device comprising a framework having a base and a plurality of upright supports protruding upwardly therefrom, the framework further comprising a plurality of horizontal-in-use exercise bars, each of the upright supports being connected to at least one other upright support by way of an exercise bar, the framework being arranged to form a plurality of exercise stations, at least one of the exercise stations being for different exercises to the other exercise stations, each exercise station being capable of allowing a plurality of users perform the same exercise simultaneously on that exercise station.
 17. An exercise device as claimed in claim 1 in which each exercise station allows users to perform a different exercise to the other exercise stations.
 18. An exercise device as claimed in claim 1 in which the framework is arranged to form two or more of a chin-up exercise station, a dip exercise station, a sit-up exercise station and a plyometric springing exercise station.
 19. An exercise device as claimed in claim 1 in which each exercise station is arranged to receive the same number of users as the other exercise stations.
 20. An exercise device as claimed in claim 1 in which the base is substantially rectangular in shape and there are provided six upright supports mounted thereon, one upright support in each corner of the rectangular-shaped base and a further upright support is mounted substantially centrally on each of the shorter sides of the rectangular base: two of the uprights mounted at opposite ends of a longer side of the rectangular base are minor upright supports and are substantially shorter that the four remaining major upright supports; each of the four major upright supports is connected adjacent its upper end to the two nearest major upright supports by way of an exercise bar; the two minor upright supports being connected together adjacent their uppermost ends by way of a dip exercise bar; and the pair of minor upright supports being connected adjacent their uppermost end to the nearest centrally mounted major upright support intermediate the major upright supports' ends by way of an exercise bar.
 21. An exercise device as claimed in claim 5 in which there is provided a second substantially horizontal-in-use dip exercise bar connecting the two centrally mounted major upright supports and positioned at substantially the same height as the first dip exercise bar.
 22. An exercise device as claimed in claim 5 in which there are provided a plurality of cross bars mounted intermediate the exercise bar connected between the two centrally mounted major upright supports and the exercise bar connected between the two other major upright supports.
 23. An exercise device as claimed in claim 5 in which there is provided an anchor exercise bar connected between the two major upright supports mounted in the corners of the base, the anchor exercise bar being connected to the major upright supports spaced apart from the base;
 24. An exercise device as claimed in claim 8 in which the anchor exercise bar is mounted between 25 cm and 35 cm from the base.
 25. An exercise device as claimed in claim 5 in which there is provided a stretching exercise bar connected between the two major upright supports mounted in the comers of the base, the stretching exercise bar being connected to the major upright supports spaced apart from the base, above and spaced apart from the anchor exercise bar; and
 26. An exercise device as claimed in claim 10 in which the stretching exercise bar is mounted between 75 cm and 105 cm from the base.
 27. An exercise device as claimed in claim 5 in which there is provided a spacer exercise bar mounted spaced apart from the base connected intermediate the pair of minor upright supports and a plurality of substantially horizontal-in-use grip exercise bars extending outwardly and orthogonally from the spacer exercise bar, spaced apart from the ground.
 28. An exercise device as claimed in claim 5 in which the base further comprises a stabilizing cross bar connected at each of its ends to the base adjacent the locations where the centrally mounted major upright supports are mounted on the base.
 29. An exercise device as claimed in claim 1 in which there is provided an additional dip exercise bar releasably secured to the exercise bars.
 30. An exercise device as claimed in claim 1 in which each exercise station is arranged to receive at least four users simultaneously.
 31. An exercise device comprising a framework having a base and a plurality of upright supports protruding upwardly therefrom, the framework further comprising a plurality of horizontal-in-use exercise bars, each of the upright supports being connected to at least one other upright support by way of an exercise bar, the framework being arranged to form a plurality of exercise stations, at least one of the exercise stations being for different exercises to the other exercise stations, each exercise station being capable of allowing a plurality of users perform the same exercise simultaneously on that exercise station wherein the base is substantially rectangular in shape and there are provided six upright supports mounted thereon, one upright support in each corner of the rectangular-shaped base and a further upright support is mounted substantially centrally on each of the shorter sides of the rectangular base: two of the uprights mounted at opposite ends of a longer side of the rectangular base are minor upright supports and are substantially shorter that the four remaining major upright supports; each of the four major upright supports is connected adjacent its upper end to the two nearest major upright supports by way of an exercise bar; the two minor upright supports being connected together adjacent their uppermost ends by way of a dip exercise bar; and the pair of minor upright supports being connected adjacent their uppermost end to the nearest centrally mounted major upright support intermediate the major upright supports' ends by way of an exercise bar. 